IVECO’s LNG truck strategy backed by the European Commission’s proposal to reduce CO2 emissions for heavy duty vehicles, promoting the use of LNG as alternative fuel to diesel
Yesterday’s Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council setting very challenging CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles identifies Liquefied Natural Gas as an available alternative to diesel
Natural gas dramatically reduces Particulate Matter and NOx emissions compared to Euro VI limits and opens the door to biomethane, a totally renewable fuel that can reduce CO2 emissions and provide a bridge to a circular economy based on the generation of energy from waste
IVECO is the only manufacturer that offers a full range of natural gas models, from light commercial vehicles to heavy-duty trucks up to 50t GCW, as well as buses and coaches
The European Commission’s “Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council setting CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles” submitted yesterday to the European Parliament and Council addresses the road transport sector’s contribution to achieving the agreed greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
The Commission proposal proposes extremely ambitious targets with reductions at twice the speed of those remarkably achieved in previous years. To do this, if the limits are confirmed, an important contribution can be given by some innovations available today. One of these is the use of liquefied natural gas of which IVECO has been a pioneer in recent years. And the Commission recognized this.
In fact, the proposal identifies LNG as
“an available alternative fuel to diesel for heavy duty vehicles. The deployment of current and upcoming more innovative LNG-based technologies will contribute to meeting the CO2 emission targets in the short and medium term as the use of LNG technologies leads to lower CO2 emissions as compared to diesel vehicles […] In addition, current LNG technologies ensure a low level of air pollutant emissions such as NOx and particulate matter. A sufficient minimum refuelling infrastructure is also in place and being further deployed as part of national policy frameworks for alternative fuel infrastructures.”
Pierre Lahutte, IVECO Brand President, stated:
“The European Commission proposal is backing our long-term strategy for sustainable transport, which has seen IVECO pioneering the use of LNG in heavy duty vehicles. The extensive fleet of natural gas powered IVECO vehicles at work on the roads across Europe clearly demonstrate that this fuel provides a viable alternative to diesel from an operational and profitability point of view, while delivering an exceptional environmental performance and it can contribute to reach these extremely challenging targets.”
The reduction in NOx and CO2 that IVECO’s heavy-duty natural gas trucks are capable of was recently demonstrated in the Equilibre project, a French transporters’ initiative to measure truck emissions in real operating conditions. The tests, which involved 44-ton Stralis NP trucks among others, showed a NOx reduction ranging from 40 to 64% compared to Diesel, and up to 20% less CO2. With the use of biomethane generated from organic waste the reduction can be as much as 80%, and 95% with agricultural waste. This result highlights how biomethane opens the door to a circular economy based on the generation of energy from waste while supporting the European energy independency and farmers’ revenue.
Yesterday’s proposal is the latest in a series of events, that have recognised IVECO’s long-sighted vision of sustainable transport. Most recently, France addressed the European Commission’s High-level Conference on Financing Sustainable Growth calling for the conversion of heavy truck fleets to gas. Germany extended the tax reduction on natural gas to 2026, signaling concerted activities to bring about a change in the sector, and its Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure’s (BMVI) identified Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as the only mass market alternative to diesel until hydrogen fuel cell systems may come on stream in its “Environmentally friendly road haulage initiative”. In Italy, the National Energy Strategy places the development of LNG as a pillar of the sustainable transport, implementing measures to boost the circulation of biomethane vehicles.
The energy transition in the transport sector is well and truly underway and IVECO is at the forefront of the industry with its cutting-edge Natural Power technology. In particular it is leading the way in sustainable long-haul transport with its Stralis NP460, crowned Low Carbon Truck of the Year in the UK. The first natural gas truck specifically developed for long-haul operations thanks to its unique combination of Pure Power (460hp), fuel economy (-15% than diesel) and autonomy (1,600 km). It also slashes noise pollution, with its extremely quiet operation at less than 71 dBA. It is the only full range of natural gas heavy trucks with the latest-generation automated transmission with predictive driving functions to perform the most demanding missions from long-distance to construction, giving transport operators the competitive advantage of offering truly sustainable logistics.
IVECO – A complete offering of natural gas vehicles
IVECO’s Natural Power range is the result of the brand’s product development strategy, which aims to provide its customers with vehicles that enable them to be more sustainable, for both the environment and their bottom line, while ensuring the best working environment for the drivers. They ensure their customers can work during pollution peaks, access city centres at all times today and tomorrow, when many European capitals will enforce diesel bans. IVECO is the only manufacturer that offers a full range of natural gas models, from light commercial vehicles to heavy-duty trucks up to 50t GCW, as well as buses. Its relentless focus on innovation and new technologies has placed the brand in the lead of the European market for alternative fuel vehicles with the biggest market share. There is currently a running park of more than 25,000 IVECO alternative traction vehicles, which include 6,000 dedicated to public transport and over 6,000 heavy-duty trucks above 18t GVW.
For further information:
“Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council setting CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles”:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:f38df734-59da-11e8-ab41-01aa75ed71a1.0001.02/DOC_1&format=PDF
